Online Reporter
Dr Obert Mpofu
PATRIOTISM is a virtue that we must all strive to possess. There are those who would want to sow doubt among us. They seem to have gained some form of superiority complex over others.
Truth of the matter is no one can claim ownership of the liberation struggle.
It was not a one-man show. So many paid the ultimate sacrifice and never lived to see a free Zimbabwe.
Likewise, so many in our journey will not live to see a prosperous Zimbabwe. The thing about a journey towards emancipation, quite a sizeable number of our comrades will always be left behind. There are those who feel aggrieved and have decided to take matters into their own hands, this is not the right path.
They should be reminded of what we fought for. They should be reminded that there is no profit in destroying what we have already achieved. It was a long journey to get to where we are, and an even longer trip lies ahead. It’s never as simple as some would want to make it. It’s never as easy. It comes at a heavy price.
Our national independence came at a huge cost. The cost was immeasurable such that we cannot afford to be disunited. We owe at least that much to those who laid down their lives so that we would be forever free in our land.
They gave us the ultimate gift, the land and the ability to self-govern and pursue our national aspirations. As our 45th independence anniversary draws nearer, let us all be reminded of the importance of safeguarding this great gift that was bequeathed upon us by those who paid with their lives and are not here with us today to see and celebrate the black man’s emancipation.
Independence Day for some of us invokes deep, profound and overwhelming feelings. I have often argued that even for the comrades who did not lose their lives, their minds, hearts and souls never made it back from the bushes and trenches where we engaged the enemy to gain our hard-fought freedom.
This is why most comrades do not cherish reliving those traumatic moments, as many times we faced death, never knowing which day would be the last. It was made even worse at each turn when we would learn of the demise of fellow comrades at the hands of the brutal Ian Smith regime.
For most of the young people in Zimbabwe, Independence Day is just another day on the calendar, but for some of us, the hardened and seasoned war veterans, it was our lives being on the line every day that ushered in this independence that some are taking for granted today. Our people need to have minds conditioned such that they understand that this independence we obtained came at a price and no matter what, it should never be taken for granted.
Initially, when we went to war, we were fighting a colossal enemy, one we had no idea we would defeat. Each day that the quest for independence persisted, our hopes were renewed and the thought of a free and prosperous land governed by the black majority was all that kept us going.
For some opposition zealots to claim that the Smith regime was better is not only disrespectful to those who laid down their lives for us to be where we are today, but it is sheer ignorance. In fact, I would equate such warped thinking to mental illness. The conditions which existed during the reign of terror that was Rhodesia were such that the black man was treated worse than a dog, criminalised, objectified and stripped of any dignity. I suspect that the imperialists’ intent was to strip the black man of all his identity and humanity and have him conform to their oppressive ways.
If the imperialists and oppressors had had their way with us, would those same people saying the Smith regime was better say that the inhumane acts were acceptable because they were being committed by the white man using their imperialist system.
By now, having gone through history and the evidence of the brutality and oppressive nature of the former colonial masters, our people should have become fully awakened to the grim realities of the ill-treatment the black man endured on his own land. Colonialism left a deep scar on our people, such that close to half a century later since we attained independence, it still is a struggle to decolonise our people.
The quest to free the minds of our people and undo some of the irreparable damage caused by colonialism is something that will go on for the longest time. Our people should also lend support in breaking down whatever remnant of colonialism that still remains.
We owe this to the future generations. Let us not draw the ire of those who perished for us to be free and do the needful, which is to protect the gains of the national liberation struggle jealously. This is the duty that is expected of every Zimbabwean from across the length and breadth of the country.
By focusing on protecting this important value, our nation will be left in a far better position. We can then achieve all other activities like strengthening the economy and improving our people’s lives with ease. As we approach the 45th Independence Day Celebrations, let us remember and focus on what is important to us as a nation, for we still have a long way ahead. It is definitely a long way and it will be quite the stretch before we achieve all our aspirations.
Dr Obert Moses Mpofu is an academic and the Secretary-General of Zanu-PF. He writes in his own capacity.
Bongani Ndlovu